Forest-fire-fighting apparatus



May 18 19260 E. w. HIMBE'FQGER FOREST FIRE FIGHTING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed April 10, 1924 v gvvve'nfoz Earl W' Him/Gaf er May 18 1926.

E. W. HIMBER'GER FOREST FIRE FIGHTING APPARATUS Filed April 10 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 gww ntop' m w Hhnberyer Mvf.

' fltbonjuq May 18 1926. 1,585,146

E. W. HIMBERGER FOREST FIRE FIGHTING APPARATUS 7 Fild April 10 192 3 Sheets Sheet 5 Patented May 18, 192.6.

UNITE stares insane Parent QFFIQE.

SUPPLY COMPANY, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

FOREST-FIRE-FIGHTING APPARATUS.

Application fiIedApril 10, 1924. Serial- No. 705,714.

My invention is particularly intended for use in theforests of the Pacific slope, where the remaining vtimber-bearing country is generally exceedingly rough and moun tainous, where trees are of considerable height, and where windfalls and dense underbrush makes it exceedingly difficult to proceed rapidly or'to carry heavy burdens, yetwhere this same condition of large windfalls and heavy underbru sh makes the spread of fire rapid and destructive.

For combating fires in such country it is essential that the apparatus shall first of all be light and portable, and second, that it-be compact and so formed that it will not readily catchon underbrush, thus to impede the progress of the'man carrying it. As to portability, the device must be portable not by two men, but must be light enough to be carried by a single man, for in the rough country, through underbrush and marshes, and over windfalls, rocks, and the like, it is impossible for two men to worktogether in carrying a load to any advantage or with any speed. The delicate parts of such an apparatus must be protected against damage while being carried and while in use. 'Th-e apparatus must be capable of taking water from small streams and of throwing it a considerable distance, for the heat of a forest fire will prevent close approach.

In my apparatus it has been my object to provide a forest fire fighting unit which is readily portable by one man, which is so compact that it may easily be carried and so that it will not catch on underbrush to impede the progress of the man carrying it, and which is capable ofthrowing a stream of considerable size'to a distance sufficient to protect the operator and the property in the vicinity of the apparatus.

It is also my object to provide such an apparatus which shall be of simple design and readily accessible, yet one in which the parts liable to injury are protected.

My invention comprises the novel parts and arrangements and combinations there of, all as shown in the accompanying drawings in a preferred form and arrangement, and as described inth-e following specification and particularly defined by the claim terminating the same.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device, the supporting legs and the water supply and hose connections being omitted.

Figure 2 is a plan view of my device, the fuel supply tank being omitted and a por tion of the motor frame being removed.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the base and motor, the pump and certain other parts being shown in side elevation.

It is essential that such a forest fire fighting apparatus be a complete, self-contained unit. I have, therefore, shown the motor, generally designated by" the numeral 1, mounted upon one end of a base 2, and a pump 3 mounted upon the other end of the base, the motor and pump being suitably connected, as, for example, by a shaft 31. The motor crank shaft and the drive shaftof the pump are preferably coaxial and the connecting shaftBl between them may be a part of eitherof these shafts, the two being connected through a suitable coupling 80, for exampleq I I i A motorwith vertical. cylinders islobjectionable'for two reasons, first, it cannot be balanced properly upon a small light base whiclris subject to considerable vibration and which must often be supported rather insecurely; second, because it will necessitate the motor projecting too far from the base, thus rai s centerof gravity from the base and m king it hard to carry on a mans back, besides making it project so far that it will catch readily in brush and impede progress of the carrier. I therefore prefer thatthe motor cylinders 10 be horizontally arranged in opposed pairs, one cyl inder of each pair being disposed atopposite sides of the center line of the-base 2. These cylinders may thus rest directly upon the base and are balanced thereon in such a way, particularly when four cylinders are used, as in my preferred form. that there is little vibration to disturb the apparatus when operating. The pairs of cylinders are arranged, then, side byside, each pair being suitably coupled to theadjacent pair either by a continuous cran: shaft or preferably by a rigid coupling 11, best illustrated in Figures 2 and Thus each pair of cylinders has its individual crank shaft 13 to dinarily extend above and below the upper and lower surfaces of the motor cylinders, and mightcatch on brush. Its lower portion, however, is received in a recess 21 in the base, which protects it, and its upper. end is protected and hidden in a manner to be described hereafter. Suitable means, such as the spark plugs 16, are provided in each cylinder and suitably connected to the magneto 15 for igniting the charge therein.

Each cylinder 10 is preferably provided with an individual, outwardly-directed exhaust passage 17 to direct the exhaust gases therefrom into the atmosphere; These are so positioned that they lie between the two adjacent cylinders but are not connected for the reason that expansion of the exhaust passages would be reat-er than expansion of other portions of the motor, and undue strains would thus be caused.

The pump 3, which is preferably positioned at the opposite end of the base 2, is preferably a rotary pump in the nature of a gear pump or abutment pump, and is preferably so disposed that it is equally balanced on o posite sides of the axis of the shaft 31. his is best seen in Figure 2. It is provided at one side with an intake 33 and at the opposite side with a discharge port 34, arranged for the attachment of a hose. If desired a suitable pressure gage 35 may be supported beneath the upper surface of the'base 2, being visible through a window 23 therein, this gage being connected to the pressure side 34 of the pump 3. I prefer also that a water feed pipe 36 be employed, this extending to the various cylinders 10 to be passsed through the water jackets thereof and to be discharged therefrom after passing through the water jackets, this water feed pipe 36 being connected also to the pressure side 34 of the pump.

The motor has various projecting parts, such as the spark plugs, the individual exhaust passages 17, the water supply connections 36, the upper portion of the flywheel 14, and the like, which would, if left uncovered, serve to catch on brush. In order to avoid this, to make the device more compact, and to permit a short, direct fuel supply line, I have mounted the fuel supply tank 4 immediately above the motor 10. I have shown feet 41 upon the tank 4, these being connected directly to the upper sides of the cylinders 10. By using a broad shallow tank, I thus cover in the entire motor; I make the gas line to the carburetor 5, positioned beneath the motor, a'short one; I bring the center of gravity of the fuel supply tank close to the base; and I protect all parts of the motor, including the upper portion of the flywheel, against catching or against accidental injury. The supply tank may be suitably filled through an opening closed by a plug 42.

The carburetor 5, in order to protect it, is. positioned preferably within the hollow base 2. It is supported from the base through an intake manifold 51 which connects to the motor cylinders 10 through the base. Preferably a two-cycle engine is employed, and thus the manifold may lead directly to the crank case of each pair of cylinders 10. The fuel supply pipe 45 leads directly downward through the carburetor 5 from the tank 4.

The device may be suitably supported, as, for example, by telescoping legs comprising the sections 6 and 61, with a set screw 62 connecting the two sections and fixing their relative positions. The sections 61 may be pointed as indicated at 63, to enable it to sink readily into the ground, and it may be provided with a collar 64 near its pointed end, to limit the projection of the end 63 into the ground and thus to provide a fairly firm base for the device, even in sandy or marshy ground. The sections 6 may be received in suitable sockets 18 provided in the underside of the base 2. Thus the legs may be detached from the base and telescoped iiito a small compass for easy portability.

WVith the legs detached the entire device may be picked up as a unit and strapped to the back of a man. Such a unit has been provided which weighs in the neighborhood of sixty-five pounds, which is well within the capabilities of a Woodsman, so long as it is compact and has its center of gravity close to his back. With the device strapped upon his back and with a companion carrying a hose to be connected thereto, the device may be transported for considerable distances through rough territory. The motor, being horizontal and close to the base and equally balanced on opposite sides of the center line thereof, and with the entire fuel supply also lying close to the base, the device packs readily and has no tendency to sway from side to side, but lies close to the back of the carrier. Arrivedat the scene of a fire, it is but a moments work to unsling the apparatus, attach and adjust the legs, attach a hose connection to the intake 33 and discharge 34, start the motor and begin to play a stream upon the fire. Thus any available supply of water may be utilized, and as the necessities of the situation require the device may be carried from place to place with ease. All delicate parts, such as the carburetor 5, are protected and not subject to damage.

This device has been designed for a special purpose under special local conditions, and has been tried and found highly effective in actual use, and it fills a want which has long been felt, in protecting timber of great value from the ravages of desctructive fires which each year take heavy toll from the forests of the Pacific slope.-

What I claim as my invention is:

A portable pumping engine for forest fire fighting comprising a base frame, an internal combustion engine of the opposed cylinder type mounted upon one end of the base With cylinders extending transversely of and secured to the base, a pump mounted upon the other end of the base and driven from the engine, a fly Wheel mounted upon 10 the engine shaft alongside and outwardly of the. engine cylinders, the base frame being recessed at its end to accommodate one side of the fly Wheel Within its outline, and a fuel supply tank mounted upon and over the engine cylinders and serving to mask the upper projecting part of the fly Wheel.

Signed at Seattle, King County, Washington, this 31st day of March 1924.

EARL W. HIMBERGER. 

